December 2015

Tarot Energy Scopes are not predictive – they will not be able to tell you what your future is, because you are in control of what you bring into your life in every moment. Instead, they serve as a forecast – think of it as a weather forecast – where we can make sense of the universal energies we are working with, in order to make the best use of our time and efforts. It is designed to help you maximize the good stuff coming your way, and to help you meet your challenges with confidence and grace.

For the full expanded 3000-word report for your sign and your rising sign, click here. You’ll be able to get a complete picture of your year ahead, as the full report will dive deeply into 7 areas of your life (Work (Expanded), Romance (Expanded), Tribe, Self-Care, Area of Growth & Expansion, Travel, Health), with a checklist of guidance and reminders you can refer to throughout your year, alongside personal affirmations that you can use to support your efforts.

Whether it’s astrology, tarot, numerology or any kind of divination practice, there are times when we turn to the mystical for answers and/or reassurance. These mystical arts and spiritual tools require an open-mindedness – if not a full-on acceptance – that there is a force that’s larger than all of us that guides us and shapes our lives (whether you believe in a god with a capital G or not). The right reading, at the right time, can be a balm, a salve, and a source of illumination that will help you shine a light on those places in your heart & mind you may be hesitant to venture into alone.

However, as with any kind of service out there, care and caution is needed when selecting the right one, so that you can protect yourself and ensure that the advice you’re getting is right for you.

As someone who used to visit ‘fortune tellers’, tarot readers, palm readers, what-have-you in the earlier days of my seeking, I had to learn the hard way that misinformation, and fear based interpretations caused so much more harm than help. Any nugget of useful information that I managed to glean from them was canceled out by the seeds of fear and uncertainty that were planted in me. I was drawn to the mystical but had no blueprint on how to approach it! Thankfully, I’ve learnt a lot since then.

TYPES OF SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE

I learnt that there are many different kinds of practitioners out there – some are readers, while there are others who are healers. Why do I make this distinction? Because not everyone who purports to have some kind of mystical ability necessarily works in the Light. Some DO seek to profit from fear. There are elements out there who DON’T work in your best interest, despite the sums of money you’re giving to them. In that sense, they aren’t interested in healing – to the point where you would no longer require their service – but are interested in keeping you in a state of fear and wanting.

This is especially so when we turn to the Divine in times of fear, confusion, stress – it’s a vulnerable time for us. Anything we hear in those times can have the potential to either shake us to our core and leave a deeper (negative) impact on us – or truly heal us, uplift us and allow us to trust ourselves and our wisdom again. A really constructive reading allows you to see the lessons in any trial. That’s why it’s very important to exercise good judgement and try as best as you can to check in with your gut when you’re getting a reading done.

Here are some general tips that can help guide you, if you’re thinking about getting any type of reading:

Avoid dire, fear-based readings

Is what they are saying scaring you?

In Singapore, there are fortune tellers who surround themselves with statues of deities and burn incense, to lend themselves some kind of spiritual authority. The New York equivalent is probably the ‘gypsy’ Tarot readers you find on the streets promising $5 readings and ‘crystal healing’. My experience with them is that 1. many are probably skilled in reading energy and perhaps do receive spiritual guidance 2. however, many also prefer feed on fear – fear of scarcity (wealth, health, ‘luck’ etc.). A common tactic is to give you enough information so that you feel good about yourself – then toss in a line or two about things that you have to fear or ‘beware’ of – and with a promise that it can be changed, at a price. I mean, the ruse seems so obvious, doesn’t it? But when you’re vulnerable and eager to receive some kind of guidance, you’re more inclined to swallowing this hook, line and sinker.

Avoid readers who attempt to get you into a cycle of dependency and leave you feeling disempowered

Pretty self-explanatory! Those who need you to come back x times. Those who sell you crystal healing for astronomical sums. Those who use pushy sales tactics. Do you feel stronger and more assured – on your own terms – after you leave the session? Do you feel relieved? Do you feel like you have many things to think over, and more clarity when it comes to yourself and your path? Or do you feel like you can only be safe if you have a certain talisman that they have, or a special potion…or what not.

Of course, it’s impossible to control what really goes on in the world, and to be utterly, 100% sure that a person is trustworthy during the very first meeting. What we can focus on, instead, is ourselves.

It may be helpful to first ask yourself…

What are you looking for? What is it that you need?

Reassurance. Confirmation that you’re on the right path

More information. Needing to make a decision but unable to, need to know about your blind spots

Comfort. Feeling afraid, confused, panic

Clarity. A stressful situation has occurred and you need to make sense of it

That’s because when you are aware of your emotional state, you are better able to discern where your vulnerabilities may lie as well – if someone is pandering to it at the moment, or coming up with a ‘quick fix’ to ‘cure’ your current state of being, putting you in a further state of anxiety, I’d say that that is a real red flag! Remember to be compassionate to yourself, my love, and check in with your gut. No one has the right to put you in a state of fear, panic or shame. Take any advice with a pinch of salt – your higher self will always hold the key to the answers that you seek. A true healer is just there to facilitate the journey!

Take care of yourself on this journey, you are wise, you are wonderful.